Giants manager Bruce Bochy talked about his resilient team. World Series opponents San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers held brief workouts at AT&T park in San Francisco, Calif. Tuesday October 23, 2012.

Roger Craig pulled the psychological strings so foreign to the A's clueless management. Dusty Baker combined knowledge and sensitivity into a package rarely seen. But it's safe to say, after Monday night's memorable rout of the Cardinals, that Bruce Bochy is the greatest manager in San Francisco Giants history.

As leaders of men, and class acts, they're in a three-way tie. I'd add Frank Robinson, who crafted a huge impression in the early '80s. But there's no arguing with two World Series in three years, and Bochy just seems to get better as he goes. Marty Lurie put it best, before Game 7, when he said, "Bochy is managing out there. Mike Matheny is watching." Matheny's a hell of a man, as well, but that mismatch became increasingly evident as the series progressed.

I always wondered how the Giants would have fared if management and Baker had managed to stick together. Since departing, he led the Cubs into the rarefied air (for them) of the NLCS, and he oversaw a dominant team in Cincinnati this year. Craig probably taught the split-fingered fastball better than any manager or pitching coach of his time, and he got the players believing in Candlestick Park at a time when the very idea seemed ludicrous. Craig single-handedly changed the mind-set of a franchise in the mid-1980s, and if A's owners Lew Wolff and John Fisher had even a hint of creativity, they'd be working on a change-the-mood marketing plan for their treasured team right now. (Thrill, instead, to the sight of them doing nothing.)

Bochy is the man whose Giants team broke a 55-year drought, and don't forget that he got the Padres into the Series as well (1998). The players rave about his orchestration of a roster, his brilliant use of a bullpen, the fact that he instills faith in every player, and that his general demeanor doesn't change. He didn't have to feign confidence when the Giants were down 0-2 in the Cincinnati series, or 1-3 to St. Louis, because he knew this team could come back. So here's to the best manager this city ever had. In a group of select company, he has risen to the top.

Some other thoughts as the World Series approaches:

-- A few weeks into the season, during a break between innings, a studious, guitar-playing Barry Zito appeared on the enormous center-field scoreboard. He was playing "Blackbird," a wonderful Beatles melody that can go terribly, terribly wrong in the hands of amateurs. Zito's version sounded like the record itself; it was masterful. And I was thinking, this guy simply refuses to be uncool. He was a rather shaky fifth starter at the time, typically on the perimeter of relevance and absorbing the usual heat over that gaudy contract. But general manager Brian Sabean captured the essence in the swirl of Monday night's celebration: "Zito doesn't look like it, doesn't act like it, but he is one tough S.O.B."

That's mentally tough, the kind that really matters. Zito didn't stop working on his craft. He didn't move to Fairfax to escape the barbs of hostility. And as a man with many outside interests, he reached the point where he could step into any nightclub and play a respectable guitar. The fact that he's starting Game 1 of the World Series, after everything he's been through, ranks with the most inspiring stories in Giants history.

-- We've made this point before, and it bears repeating: The Giants are enjoying Zito's success - and the fact that his Game 5 performance reversed the tide in the LCS - because of his horrendous contract. If he'd come to town with a normal deal, measuring up to his ensuing performance, he'd be long gone by now.

-- As the Padres bring in their fences, joining the Mets and Mariners and other weak-minded organizations, the Giants have no plans to do so. Thank goodness. Here's what I don't get: AT&T is consistently called the best, most beautiful park in the game. It's a fair park, not a bandbox. Thriving there, before sellout crowds, the Giants have reached the World Series for the second time in three years. It's likely to be a big asset against a Detroit team loaded with power hitters. What kind of knucklehead even thinks of changing it in any way?

-- The Giants have faced stiff opposition throughout the postseason, and the Tigers could be the toughest yet, but there has been one consistent thread that works to Bochy's advantage: just one right-handed pitcher after another. This has enabled him to stick with Brandon Belt at first base and Brandon Crawford at shortstop, their confidence increasing by the day. And with Buster Posey now catching everyone in the rotation (even Tim Lincecum, at times), there hasn't been any weakening of the defense with Belt forced into left field. On top of it all, Gregor Blanco is a fearless performer who contributes in countless ways. With Detroit in town, it's a steady diet of right-handers outside of lefty reliever Phil Coke. And if the Giants had a better left-handed hitter off the bench than Aubrey Huff, who appears to have one leg perched on the retirement chair, they'd be in even better shape.

-- The Giants' rejection of Melky Cabrera becomes more appropriate by the day. Some will say they reached this point partly because their left fielder was a cheater. How it went down for real: The Giants got here because of Cabrera's suspension, and the team's refusal to bring him back. Some things cannot be measured by statistics, and the Melk-Man's departure became a rallying cry for the Giants, inspiring deeds some thought were beyond their power. It sounds corny, but that's exactly what happened.

-- For all the talk about comparing Matheny to predecessor Tony La Russa, who would intentionally walk Barry Bonds if he saw him in a mall, the Cardinals did not pitch around Posey. More often than not, they went after him - carefully, but still giving him a few hittable offerings. Should be interesting to see how Jim Leyland, one of the best, goes about it.

-- Madison Bumgarner could be the Giants' secret weapon in the coming days. Assuming they aren't hiding something (as in a significant arm injury), Bumgarner is perfectly capable of fighting through his late-season fatigue and pitching a few key innings. He's as tough-minded as they come, and you know he'd love the opportunity - even if it's an inning or two in middle relief. I'd wager he'd love a swing of the bat, as well.